Prostitution in Cuba

Despite Castro's effort to reduce prostitution and sex tourism, these problems still remain in Cuba. Many articles report that these efforts have not helped because of other regulations around the world.A John Hopkins University report says "Canadian and American tourists have contributed to a sharp increase in child prostitution and exploitation of women in Cuba (due to) a current drop in political restriction on travel to Cuba and a crackdown on sex tourism in Southeast Asia" (Calzon).These factors have encouraged more tourists to travel to Cuba for sex because they know that Castro will allow them to get away with it.American policy towards Cuba is another factor that has influenced the continual increase in prostitution in Cuba. Castro has been able to use the United States' policy to build hostility against the US to justify actions that are not helping Cuba at all.This hostility "increases the fear of ordinary Cubans that the US might invade or that right-wing Cuban-American exiles will return from Miami to Havana and take back their property" (Esler).Esler went on to say that "year on year the conditions for ordinary Cubans get worse, rations down, prostitution up."Tourism, of course, also plays a big role in the staying power of prostitution.With so many people coming to Cuba for this reason, it is difficult to stop an industry which helps the economy so much.The New Republic reported in June 2000 that the government has even begun referring to these women as "promoters of tourism" (Kielly).Other than for sex, it is thought that few people would visit Cuba if given the chance."The sex, of course, is what most of the tourists come to Havana for.Have no doubts about this.They're not here to show solidarity with 40 years of continuous revolution, or to study architecture, and they certainly aren't here for the food" (Kielly).…